Tag: Bay Laurel

The advice commonly given for cold protection is to grow bay laurel in containers so the plants can be moved into a sheltered location to overwinter.

But what about those growing in the ground or in large, immovable planters?

It’s true that in-ground trees have improved cold tolerance once they’re established, but they can still benefit from protection from unusual cold snaps and desiccating winds.

And it doesn’t take much to cozy them up against inclement weather!

Caring for a bay tree in colder climates might take a bit of extra work for winter survival, but the fragrant, flavorful leaves, and ornamental value makes it well worth the effort.

Are you ready to learn the best ways to protect your bay laurel from cold snaps, heavy snow, and harsh winds? Then let’s jump into how to overwinter bay trees.

Here’s a look at what’s ahead:

Bay Laurel Basics for Cold Weather

Hardy in USDA growing Zones 7 to 10, bay laurel trees have moderate cold hardiness.

To help them survive winters within their preferred hardiness Zones, plant your trees and shrubs in sites that are protected from strong winds.

High winds can cause breakage to large limbs and when coupled with freezing temperatures, the leaves and stems can become desiccated, taking on a blackened or dull, mottled appearance before dying off.

My in-ground tree regularly handles gale force winds and drenching salt spray from winter storms.

But when occasional freezing temperatures are added, some of the leaves facing the weather system become dried out – but those on the leeward side always stay healthy and green.

If wind and freezing temperatures are normal in your region, keep your trees happy over the winter months by planting them in a sheltered spot that’s away from prevailing winds.

And to survive winter, L. nobilis shrubs must be planted in well-draining soil regardless of whether they’re grown in the landscape or containers.

Prolonged exposure to cold, wet soil or standing water can easily cause problems like root rot.

When planting, mix in one or two parts of grit to improve the drainage as needed. Use materials like crusher dust, landscape sand, pea gravel, or stone chips to keep the soil draining freely.

And if wet soil is common in your winter garden, consider planting your trees in a raised bed or mound to improve drainage.

Raising the soil 12 to 24 inches, and adding grit, is a reliable way to avoid soggy conditions and standing water in gardens with clay or heavy soils.

You can learn more about how to grow bay laurel in our guide.

And bays grown in pots are more prone to cold damage compared to in-ground trees.

This is because the soil in containers freezes much quicker than it does around the roots of in-ground trees. But we’ll talk more about winter care for container-grown plants later in this article.

Also, it’s important to withhold fertilizer during winter while the plants are dormant.

Once temperatures drop to 45°F, L. nobilis enters dormancy with no active growth – resume feeding once warm temperatures return and new growth starts.

Although bays have good drought tolerance once they’re established, they can’t go without water indefinitely.

Water plants deeply in late autumn before the soil freezes but avoid watering in freezing conditions.

If rainfall provides adequate moisture during the winter months, there’s no need to irrigate.

But if winter temperatures remain above freezing and rainfall is insufficient, provide a deep watering every six weeks to prevent the plants from drying out completely.

Potted Plants

In frost-free regions, container-grown plants can remain outdoors in the garden.

However, if your region receives a lot of winter rainfall, it’s helpful to move containers into the rain shadow of a fence or wall.

Also, remove catchment saucers and place the containers on pot toes, bricks, or a couple of short pieces of lumber to raise them off the ground and prevent puddling or standing water.

If you receive regular frosts of a light or moderate nature, moving them into a sheltered outdoor location out of the wind is usually sufficient.

Suitable sheltered locations outdoors include placing pots against an exterior heated house wall, under large conifers, tucked into evergreen shrubbery, or any location that remains a couple of degrees warmer than exposed sites.

If you’re concerned the roots might freeze, add a two- to four-inch layer of mulch over the root zone using materials such as bark mulch, conifer needles, or straw.

Moving them indoors for winter isn’t advisable, but if you absolutely have to, they must go into a room that’s no warmer than 60°F.

Indoors, they’ll also need bright, indirect light and regular water applications to keep the soil lightly moist.

Outdoor Planters

For trees in permanent or immovable planters, apply a thick, four- to six-inch layer of mulch to cover the entire root zone as protection against heavy frosts or freezing temperatures.

Use porous mulch materials that allow water to move freely, such as bark mulch, conifer needles, pebbles, or straw.

If needed during very cold spells, tent your trees with burlap or a frost blanket and extend the material all the way down to the planter’s rim or soil line, anchoring it in place with large stones.

Tenting traps warm air from the soil, and to be effective, it needs to extend all the way down to the soil line.

When tenting evergreens, always use permeable materials like burlap, frost blankets made of bonded or spun polyester fibers, old sheets, or commercial frost jackets.

Frost protection blankets and jackets are typically made of non-woven materials like bonded or spun polyester and should have a weight of at least one and a half ounces per square foot – materials lighter than this may not provide adequate protection or survive winter storms.

Plastic or polyethylene sheets alone should be avoided.

Plastic, or poly, is very good at trapping and holding warm air, but its non-breathable nature also traps moisture, which can lead to rot. And when the sun comes out, temperatures under the plastic can quickly become oven-like, scorching leaves and overheating plants.

For extreme weather conditions, you can tent with two layers of permeable fabric over the plant then cover them with a layer of polyethylene – but be sure to remove the plastic quickly as soon as warmer temperatures return.

In-Ground Care

When bays are planted in the ground, they become tougher and more resilient to weather extremes as they mature, including frost and freezing temperatures.

But they should still be protected against harsh weather or extreme conditions.

To help them easily handle winters within their hardiness range, start out by planting them in a site that’s protected from strong winds and has soil with excellent drainage.

As mentioned, winter’s freezing winds can dry out foliage, stems, and branches which can result in stunted shapes, slow growth, and a slow decline in overall health.

For those trees that are exposed to drying winds, cover the foliage canopy with burlap, a frost blanket, or old sheets. Tie the corners around the stem just below the canopy or use plant clips to secure them to branches.

Trees with a compact or trimmed canopy rarely suffer from snow damage.

But over time, the long limbs in loose, unpruned canopies can become weak and susceptible to breakage when loaded down with heavy, wet snow.

If wet snow or freezing rain is a regular occurrence in your region, prevention is the best remedy for ice and snow breakage.

in late spring, cut large limbs back by as much as one-third to improve their weight-bearing ability.

Should a limb break from snow, ice, or wind, prune it in late winter while the bay is still dormant. Use a clean, sharp saw to cut back the damaged limb to a healthy branch, or right back to the main trunk if needed.

Our guide to pruning bay laurel covers how to trim large or mature trees, shrubs, and topiary as well.

To protect the root zone from freezing temperatures and freeze/thaw cycles, apply a two- to six-inch layer of winter mulch and extend it to the drip line. The drip line is an imaginary circle on the soil surface that mirrors the trees’ outermost branch tips.

Winter mulches should be made from coarse, loose materials that don’t trap water, such as bark chips or shredded bark, conifer needles, evergreen boughs, pebbles, or straw.

Frost Protection Jackets

Commercial frost protection bags or jackets are also available and can be used for container or in-ground plants.

Plastic jackets need to be opened frequently to allow air circulation and dry off excess moisture on the plants.

And when the sun comes out, they can become excessively hot in a very short time, causing sun scorch on exposed foliage and plants to overheat and become stressed.

Also, in the case of a broadleaf shrub like bay, the plastic has to be suspended away from the foliage, typically via some makeshift, chicken wire contraption.

This is because where it touches the leaves, plastic conducts the cold, which in turn, can freeze the leaves it’s supposed to protect!

Frost jackets made of permeable materials are the better option for bay laurels.

Repairing Winter Damage

Within their hardiness range, the most common winter damage to bays are blackened leaves and stem tips from freezing temperatures and harsh winds, and occasionally limb damage from high winds or heavy snows.

Blackened, brown, dead, or damaged leaves and stem tips can be pruned out in early spring, but wait until the leaf buds have started to swell before removing anything. The emerging buds are a positive sign that healthy stem tissue is present.

Use clean, sharp shears to cut away dead or damaged materials to just above a set of strong, healthy buds.

Cutting above a set of healthy buds helps to encourage branching, but don’t remove more than just the damaged material at this time.

Pruning and reshaping can be done in early summer when the foliage is vibrant and in full leaf – this makes it easier to correct any gaps or odd shapes left after cleaning away damaged material.

Dead or damaged branches should be removed in late winter or early spring as well.

This abundance makes them an outstanding choice for clipping and sculpting into any shape from crisp, boxy screens to abstract or geometric standards.

They can also be grown in a loose form, either as a multi-stemmed shrub or solitary tree, resplendent with a lavish canopy of chartreuse to dark green leaves.

Again, regular maintenance is needed to encourage dense foliage and to keep their ambitious growth in check.

Is your garden ready for beautiful bay laurels with lots of fragrant foliage? Then sharpen your shears and let’s get into how and when to prune bay laurel trees!

Here’s what you’ll find ahead:

Bay Tree Basics

Bay trees do best in a sunny, protected location in humus rich, well-draining soil with a slightly acidic to alkaline pH of 5.5 to 7.5.

They’re hardy in USDA Zones 7 to 11, and outside of their range can be grown as container plants, but you’ll need to overwinter them indoors or in a protected outbuilding like a greenhouse or orangery.

You can learn more about how to grow bay laurel in our guide.

A popular kitchen herb, the leaves are used dried or fresh in a wide range of savory dishes, making them a popular choice for kitchen and potager gardens.

And as attractive evergreens, their heavy branching and thick foliage makes L. nobilis a natural for formal or loose hedges, screens, showy shrubs, standalone trees, or shaped as topiary.

Although growth isn’t fast, it is steady. Mature bay laurel trees can reach an impressive height of up to 55 feet and still retain dense foliage – but maintaining a manageable size is easily achieved by growing a compact variety and some annual maintenance.

These resilient trees respond eagerly to either a light trim or robust pruning, and quickly fill out with a fresh flush of summer leaves.

They can even take a hard cut back, with the main trunk severed if needed – they’ll come back with new growth and produce another verdant canopy in just a few years!

But how you prune your bay laurel trees depends on how you grow them.

Container plants, shrubs, and trees need to be cut back to maintain a manageable size.

Hedges, screens, and topiaries are double cut to produce a luxuriant wall of shiny, scented leaves for maximum ornamental appeal.

And of course, you want to have plenty of leaves to harvest for the kitchen as well!

Okay, that’s the basics… now let’s move on to the particulars of how and when to prune bay trees.

Best Timing for Fast Regrowth

Bay trees can be given a light trim at any time of the year, but the best time to prune is in late spring after new growth has emerged.

At this time, loose-form container plants, shrubs, and trees can be trimmed lightly to head back last year’s growth.

Or if they need to be resized or reshaped, this is also the time for a harder cut back where they can be reduced by as much as one-third of their overall size.

Late spring is also the time to start shaping hedges, privacy screens, and topiary standards with a light trim to establish the desired outline.

By summer, kitchen laurels are growing much more vigorously and putting out plenty of new growth.

This is when hedges and topiaries are given a second trimming to complete the desired shape or give the plant a clipped appearance if desired.

As summer progresses and new foliage emerges, give your plants a light trim to maintain balance and the desired shape.

Suckers and Shoots

Removing suckers and shoots is necessary for topiaries and trees, or anywhere you want to preserve a single trunk with a clean, bare appearance.

Suckers emerge each year around the base of plants as new, tender stems. Shoots are the little baby limbs that emerge from bare trunks.

For hedges, shrubs, and screens, suckers and shoots can be left in place because they expand the base into clumps and improve the density of the foliage.

To remove suckers from trees and topiary, scrape away soil from around the suckers then use clean, sharp shears to cut them below the soil level.

The lower you can cut them, the less chance they have of surviving to sprout again.

To remove shoots emerging from bare trunks, use clean, sharp shears to snip them off as close to the trunk as possible.

Trimming Shrubs

As mentioned, when shoots and suckers are left in place bay laurel forms bushy clumps with multiple, densely foliated stems.

Over time, clumps extend outward into new territory, adding girth to their overall size and creating lovely evergreen screens.

To manage the appearance of your shrubs, start by removing any winter-damaged leaves as well as any broken, crossing, or dead branches.

To maintain their size and shape, cut back last year’s growth to a set of healthy buds or leaves, cutting back the tips of each branch by up to one third of its length.

If your shrub has spread out too much for your liking, you can reduce its width by removing up to one third of the stems from the exterior perimeter, cutting at, or just below the soil level.

Heading Back Trees

Although bay trees can grow tall without getting leggy or sparse, regularly heading back the branches helps to preserve an appealing shape and keeps plants healthy with vibrant foliage as well.

“Heading back” is a pruning term to describe the process of cutting the terminal stem of a branch back to a bud. “Thinning” refers to the complete removal of a branch where it joins the main stem.

To maintain the shape of your tree, start by removing any dead and damaged limbs, and ones that are crossed or growing towards the center of the canopy.

Use clean, sharp hand pruners on small branches and loppers or a sharp saw on larger ones.

To reduce the size of the specimen, head back the growing tips by up to a third of their total length.

To reshape the profile, cut back the growing tips as desired and thin out small limbs by cutting them off where they emerge from a strong side branch.

If you like your trees to have a bare trunk, remove the new shoots that appear each year. Cut as close to the trunk as possible.

Rejuvenate Overgrown Specimens

Mature, overgrown bay laurels can also tolerate a very hard cut back and can even recover when the main trunk is cut off.

But regrowth is slow and cutting down the trunk leaves an unsightly bare stump. Instead, plan to carry out a hard cut back over two or three seasons.

For a hard cut back, in late spring remove one-third of the overall size for your first year cut.

In the second year, cut back by another one-third, shaping as you go. Just try to avoid cutting away last year’s growth and any new shoots on the lower parts of the plant – leave them in place so they produce foliage to cover bare branches.

In the third year, head back the tips of the previous years’ growth, cutting them away at a strong side bud. Selectively thin out any remaining branches in areas you’d like to reduce, removing secondary stems or smaller twigs at the junction where they emerge from a strong side branch.

Spread out over two or three years, you can significantly reduce the overall size of your tree but still enjoy the lush foliage and harvest leaves as well.

Harvesting Leaves

Speaking of harvesting, bay leaves are delicious and used dried or fresh in a variety of dishes!

They can be harvested at any time of the year for fresh use. 

But the summer months of June, July, and August are when they have the highest concentrations of aromatic essential oils. If you plan to dry the leaves, use those collected in summer for the best flavor.

For the freshest, most intense flavors, leaves should be picked in the morning after the dew has evaporated and before the hot sun disperses their oils.

Learn more about how to harvest bay leaves in our guide.

There are many plants that are referred to by the common name “bay,” and some of them have a similar flavor to the popular herb.

Others that go by the same name aren’t edible, and it’s important to know the difference.

In this guide, we’ll talk about nine plants that have the same common moniker and may look similar, and discuss whether or not they are edible.

Here’s the list:

Let’s start with the one most of us think of when we imagine the common spice.

1. Bay Laurel

Laurus nobilis, commonly called sweet bay, true laurel, bay laurel, and Grecian laurel, is the one that most of us think of when we imagine the spice.

The leaves have main notes of cinnamon and cloves, with under notes of vanilla and cardamom. The foliage is even used to make cologne called, fittingly, bay rum.

The bright green lanceolate leaves darken as they age and can be up to five inches long, with a more rounded tip than L. nobilis.

In addition to being used as a spice and fragrance, the foliage can also be used as an insect repellent and medicinal tea. The berries and flowers of this tree are toxic.

3. California

Oregon myrtle or California bay (Umbellularia californica) has edible foliage and is often used as a substitute for L. nobilis in cooking.

It contains just 20 percent 1,8-cineole, along with 37 percent umbellulone. This combines to give the foliage a similar scent and flavor to bay laurel, but with much more menthol.

The leaves are more narrow and rounded, with a lighter hue than L. nobilis, and grow up to five and a half inches long.

Native to California, it’s also evergreen and can grow up to 100 feet tall in Zones 7 to 9.

4. Indian

Indian bay or bark (Cinnamomum tamala) is a tree in the Lauraceae family and the leaves are used as a popular spice in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The tree grows up to 65 feet tall in Zones 9 to 10.

When compared to bay laurel, there’s no confusing the two plants as they are completely different.

The five-inch leaves of C. tamala are glossy, olive green, and have three veins rather than one.

As the first part of the binomial suggests, the flavor of the foliage has strong notes of cinnamon. It contains beta-caryophyllene, linalool, and eugenol which impart this fragrance and flavor.

The bark can be used as a substitute for cinnamon. But the edible leaves aren’t a good substitute for L. nobilis.

5. Indonesian

Indonesian bay (Syzygium polyanthum) is more closely related to P. racemosa than L. nobilis.

It’s a massive tree growing up to 75 feet or more, and the leaves are popular in Balinese, Javan, and Sumatran cuisine.

The leaves are wider than those of L. nobilis and can be eaten fresh or used as a spice when dry.

They have a similar flavor to bay laurel with eugenol and methyl chavicol, with a slightly bitter and astringent flavor.

Both the six-inch leaves and fruit are edible. In some regions of Asia, like Indonesia, they’re grown as fruit trees in the equivalent of Zones 10 to 11.

6. Loblolly

Loblolly bays (Gordonia lasianthus) aren’t common in cultivation because they require very specific soil to thrive.

They’re also extremely fussy about their required partial sun exposure and need moist but not wet conditions. These trees grow indigenously along the eastern seaboard of the US from Virginia to Florida.

G.lasianthus is part of the tea family (Theaceae) and the cut stems have a heavenly resinous-orange smell, but no part of the plant is used for culinary purposes.

It’s not toxic, just unpalatable. The leaves bear a striking resemblance to L. nobilis and the 75-foot tree is decorated in camellia-like white flowers in the spring.

If you’re lucky enough to have the right conditions to cultivate this plant, it’s a beloved ornamental and thrives in Zones 7 to 9.

7. Magnolia

There are two magnolia trees that have “bay” in the common name: bull bay (Magnolia grandiflora) and sweetbay (M. virginiana).

Both earned that name because their leaves resemble redbay and bay laurel, and the wood contains a similar spicy fragrance to the leaves of those two species.

It’s a small shrub that grows up to 16 feet tall with lanceolate leaves that have a blue-green hue on the undersides. The leaves are smooth and quite narrow.

L. glaucescens is edible and is often used as a substitute for bay laurel, with 1,8-cineole, linalool, and beta-pinene providing the distinctive scent and flavor.

9. Redbay

Part of the laurel family (Lauraceae), redbay, shorebay, or swampbay (Persea borbonia) looks a lot like L. nobilis and even has a similar spicy fragrance when the leaves are crushed.

The leaves are also similar in shape and size, reaching about five inches long. While it can be found in cultivation in Zones 7 to 11, it isn’t extremely common.

You can find redbay growing throughout the southeastern United States where it has been used as a seasoning by native people for centuries. You, too, can enjoy the leaves as a L. nobilis substitute. Don’t eat the fruits, though, as these are toxic.

Sadly, wild plants, which grow up to 60 feet tall, are being decimated by an invasion of the redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus).

The most pungent flavor comes from when you use freshly harvested foliage.

They lose their flavor the longer they sit in storage – hence the complaints about adding no flavor – so having access to fresh ones is a treat and the best way to experience what this herb truly offers.

In our guide to growing bay laurel, we discuss how to cultivate these trees in your garden.

If you have your own supply that you want to harvest and use, but you’re not sure how to go about it, this guide can help.

We’ll discuss the following to bring out the best in your bay:

Before you can start plucking the leaves and using them, you have to know when to start working. Let’s cover that, first.

When to Harvest

If you plan to use the bay leaves fresh, you can harvest any time. Otherwise, you can dry small batches throughout the year and use them right away.

How many you can take at once depends on how large your plant is. You never want to harvest more than 10 percent of the foliage at any one time.

If you have a large bush, that means throughout the year, you can pretty much take as many as you can use in a small household.

Avoid harvesting in the winter, though a few here and there won’t hurt the plant.

If you want to dry a bunch all at once so you can sell or give them away, or just so that you don’t have to worry about having a ready supply, it’s best to harvest in the peak of summer when the shrub is at its peak.

If you have a choice, you should always wait to harvest in the height of summer. That’s when the foliage has the highest essential oil content and, as a result, the strongest flavor.

Which Leaves Are Best?

Bay trees send out new foliage throughout the spring, summer, and fall, with most of the leaves emerging in the spring.

These will be smaller, softer, and brighter green than the mature ones. Don’t harvest these young leaves, you want the older ones, which should be larger, darker green, and firmer than the young ones.

Avoid harvesting any bay foliage that is damaged, eaten by insects, or discolored.

For the most pungent flavor, you want to harvest the mature leaves in summer when the essential oil content is at its peak.

How to Harvest

There are two ways to harvest from your bay. The first is to simply pluck them off using your fingers. This is best if you are only taking a few leaves here and there.

Otherwise, use a clean pair of scissors and neatly trim them off near the stem. You don’t want to let any part of the leaf remain, so take it off as close to the stem as you can, whether you are plucking or cutting.

If you have a large shrub, you can take off small branches instead of harvesting individual leaves.

The advantage of harvesting branches is that you can hang them in bundles to dry.

The disadvantage is that you will also likely have some young leaves on the branch which won’t taste so good, and you’ll want to just pluck those off and toss them out.

Use a sharp pair of pruners to cut off the branch as close to the nearest branch or stem as you can.

Fresh or Dry?

It’s awesome having access to fresh bay, but the leaves can be somewhat bitter. The best flavor emerges when they are fresh but dried.

The ones you buy in the store might be months (or years) old, so it can be revelatory using fresh foliage dried right off the tree.

Feel free to experiment with fresh leaves and see what you think. Some people prefer the stronger flavor in some dishes, myself included. When you need a more mellow but complex flavor, dried is the way to go.

The fresh foliage has more of a eucalyptus, licorice flavor, while dried leaves settle into a mellow, herbal flavor that has the same notes as thyme and oregano.

Let’s talk about how to dry leaves.

How to Dry Bay Leaves

Once you’ve harvested the foliage, give it a rinse and let it dry.

The easiest method for drying a small batch is to set them in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet on top of paper towels.

Lay paper towels on top and set them aside in a cool, dark area. Check every few days to see if there is any mildew forming. If so, toss those with mildew and spread the remaining ones out a bit more. Flip them after a week. They should be dried and ready to use in two weeks.

You can also use a dehydrator to speed up the process. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for drying herbs. Typically, this means drying at a temperature of around 95°F for one or two hours.

After an hour or so, check the leaves and look for any green, pliable areas. If you see any, keep drying. They should be crisp and grayish-brown when they are ready.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can also use your oven. Turn it on to a bake setting at the lowest temperature and place a single layer of leaves on a baking sheet.

Bake them for an hour, flipping them every 20 minutes and checking for dryness.

If you harvested branches, strip off the lowest leaves and remove any young, bright green foliage. Tie the branches together at the base and hang them upside down in a cool, dry area out of sunlight to dry.

Store the whole, dried bay leaves in an airtight container, whether that’s a baggie or a glass jar, in a cool, dark area. They retain their flavor for up to a year. Yes, they’ll continue to look fine for a lot longer than a year, but they lose most of their flavor so toss them out or use them up.